Image for representational purpose only.
CHENNAI: Now you may have to shell out up to 50 per cent more in property tax for your apartment as the state government has decided to revise the property tax with effect from the current half year as per the existing provisions following a directive from the Madras High Court. A Government Order to this effect was issued by Municipal Administration and Water Supply Secretary Harmander Singh, directing revision of property tax in the Greater Chennai Corporation, 11 other municipal corporations, all municipalities and town panchayats. As per the GO, the local bodies will be able to raise the property tax by up to 50 per cent for residential buildings and up to 100 per cent for rented residential buildings and non-residential buildings.
Chennai Corporation officials said that while only the limit has been fixed so far, they are still working out what percentage of hike would be implemented. “But overall we’re looking to increase the annual property tax collection by `200 crore,” said a senior Corporation official.The decision was taken after the HC directed the MAWS Secretary to take a decision on a proposal submitted by Commissioner, Chennai Corporation, to revise property tax in the city, within two weeks and report to the court on August 3, 2018.
A division bench of Justices N Kirubakaran and Krishnan Ramaswamy gave the directive when a batch of PILs seeking to remove encroachments by CASA Grand Builder Private Limited at Adyar river, came up. After impleading the Secretary suo motu, the bench noted property tax revision was last made in 1998 and the civic body had given a proposal to revise the property tax. “It was disheartening to note four revisions had been missed putting the Corporation to financial hardship,” it said.
Hike by up to 50-100 per cent
Local bodies will be able to revise property tax by up to 50 per cent for residential buildings, and up to 100 per cent for rented residential & non-residential buildings.
